In Shadow I Hide
by OKBooey31
Summary: Paris, 1882. The French Opera knows nothing less than grandeur and, therefore, it is only fitting for the love story that was written in the confines of the Palais Garnier to be grandiose in it's own right. Klaroline/Phantom of the Opera AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello everyone! So, I got this idea a couple nights ago... It's an AU fic featuring the Klarowood triangle and Co. (select other TVD characters) ****in the events of 'Phantom of the Opera'. Do not worry, though, it is not your original tale of 'Phantom' with out TVD friends and that's all I'm going to say for now:) This is only the prologue and I probably won't upload more until I finish 'Movie Night: The Sequel'. Well, I hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries or anything- song lyrics, movie lines, plot, etc.- from 'Phantom'**

_Paris, France, 1932_

_The Old Palais Garnier _

The world was a cold, dark place. For as far back as Mister Lockwood remembered, it always had been, and as far as he was concerned, it always would be. But then again, his thought on the coldness of the world revolved around _her_ and what had transpired between them fifty years ago.

So he lived his life with the few reminders he had of her existence: a letter, the engagement ring he had given her, the mere memory of her laughter, and now, as the auctioneer handed it to him, the dusty, antique mirror that had been found in the untouched confines of her old dressing room. The very mirror he had seen her use time and time again as she ready herself for performances. But, then again, the mirror was like a slap in the face by the interloper, the man who ruined their relationship. It was one last reminder of how she had chosen him and _not _Mister Lockwood.

Mister Lockwood felt his old heart clench as the memory of her smile playing about her rosy cheeks and he clutched the hand held mirror to him even more. In moments like these, it was hard. Losing her was still a fresh wound and the memory of it never left his mind. Mister Lockwood was thankful when the auctioneer began speaking again, distracting him from painful memories.

"Lot six-six-six, then…a chandelier, in pieces. Some of you may recall the _strange _affair of…" the auctioneer seemed to hesitate, as if completing the sentence would bring back the ghost of the past. It was only a momentary slip, however; short enough that he could have used the excuse for the sole need to breathe. The auctioneer continued on, "The phantom of the opera. A mystery never fully explained. We're told, ladies and gentlemen, that _this_ is the very chandelier that figures in the famous disaster. Our workshop men repaired it and wired parts for it for the new electric light. Perhaps, we can all frighten away the ghosts of so many years ago with a little illumination."

All eyes turned to where two workers stood above the covered chandelier, ropes in their hands, as an eerie silence fell over the room. Mister Lockwood placed the mirror in his lap and motioned for his caretaker to bring his wheel chair closer to the scene.

"Gentlemen…if you please," the auctioneer said, motioning for them to commence.

Several things happened at once. The tarp covering the chandelier was ripped away, one workman plugged two chords together, making a large spark, and the new electric light flickered before lighting up the massive chandelier as two more workmen began to hoist it to it's right place high above them.

The on lookers watched, mystified, and to old Mister Lockwood, it seemed as if a gust of wind had picked up, pushing the already flying dust around. Mister Lockwood knew that this was, in fact, the very chandelier that had crashed to the floor during a performance, setting the entire Palais Garnier ablaze. How could he forget when he had been there that very night?

But, Mister Lockwood was not the only one in attendance who had been there fifty years ago. Across the room, a sad looking woman with large doe eyes stood by vigilantly watching. She was in her later years but not quite as sickly looking as Mister Lockwood and that had to attribute to her many years as a fit, healthy ballet dancer along side _her_ on the very stage before them. Madame Gilbert averted her gaze from the bright, crystal chandelier and met Mister Lockwood's dark eyes with her own, empathy filled ones.

Madame Gilbert knew the truth as well.

The fact that they knew the truth plagued Mister Lockwood night and day, day and night.

The guilt that he could never come forward with the truth of what happened to the young Opera singer, Caroline Forbes would plague Tyler Lockwood for the remainder of his life.

For, revealing the truth would bring not only illumination, but his death as well.

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me what you think/if I should continue:)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries...or anything from Phantom of the Opera for that matter.**

_**Chapter One**_

_Paris, 1882_

It was a wondrous day. The late fall weather was very cool but it did not hinder the usual activity seen in the Parisian streets; carriages and horses filled them and one such carriage with two large, black horses came to a halt in front of the Palais Garnier.

It's two occupants climbed gracefully out of the car and looked around. Both were tall and exceptionally handsome.

"It's supposed to be haunted," one said to the other with a sidelong glance. His eyes twinkled with mischief while he smirked and took off his top hat, flecks of gold in his hair shining in the sun.

"That is but a tall tale, Niklaus, told to keep the young ballet girls from wandering off into places they should not venture," the other responded with a heavy sigh as he fixed his cuffs. In contrast to the blonde haired, blue-eyed man beside him, he had brown hair and brown eyes to match.

"Knowing what we do about the monsters who exist in plain daylight, roaming the world unbeknownst to the ignorant human eye, I find it funny that you would pay little mind to such tales, Elijah."

Elijah gave Niklaus another exasperated look, "And I find it funny that you would take store by such _simple-minded_ tales. And, not that you aren't eternally aware of this but I appall your audacity. Do you ever take heed to your surroundings, Niklaus? We would be wise not to speak of the world's lesser-known species so openly. Now, I've had enough of your games, they are waiting for us."

And with that, Elijah walked off with a glance at Niklaus, telling him to follow. Niklaus repressed a growl and climbed the stairs to catch up with Elijah.

"Is there nothing I can say to deter you from this, brother?" Niklaus asked, stepping into stride beside the other man.

"No. I continue to tell you it will be a good investment! Stop attempting to make it seem like you do not enjoy the opera, Niklaus. We both know that you do, in fact, enjoy the fine arts," Elijah said with a wry smile.

Niklaus huffed and placed a hand on Elijah's elbow and pulled him to a stop. Standing nearly nose-to-nose, Niklaus studied his brother's face with an intense gaze, his face drained of all emotion, "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, "But when this project of yours fails, and it inevitably will, do not come to me complaining of your problems."

"I can care for my own endeavors, Niklaus. Thank you for your concern, though. Now, let us go act like civilized men and graciously greet the staff of _our _opera house," Elijah replied evenly. He clapped Niklaus on the back before stepping away and walking on. Once again, Niklaus followed, his jaw taught in annoyance.

"Ah! You must be Monsieur Mikaelson!" A man in his late sixties with a shaky voice and a feaux sense of confidence greeted them before the entrance.

"Yes," Elijah replied, sticking out his gloved hand, "Elijah Mikaelson. And this is my younger brother, Niklaus."

Niklaus scrunched his nose at his introduction but copied Elijah's actions and stuck his own hand out, "Please, Monsieur, call me Klaus," he said with a devilish smile as the man hesitantly shook Klaus' large hand. He held on for a second longer than necessary, relishing in the man's skittish behavior and earning an eye roll from Elijah.

"Liam Grant," the man introduced himself once he was free of Klaus' grasp. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you both and I cannot express my gratitude towards you, Monsieur, for purchasing the Opera Populaire. It has become quite the chore for my associate and I."

"I speak not only for myself, but my brother as well, when I say we've enjoyed the opera during our time in Paris. When we were presented with the opportunity to purchase the Opera Populaire, I simply could not refuse."

"Well, as I said, we are simply delighted to have you, Messieurs Mikaelson. Let me give you a brief tour. You'll have to excuse the chaos indoors; we are in the middle of rehearsal for tonight's performance of _Hannibal_."

The Palais Garnier was a hustle of activity, color, and sound. Ballet dancers ran to and fro, costumes were being thrown off and changed faster than one can imagine in the last run through. The three gentlemen came to stand on the edge of the stage and watched the bustle of activity after walking through the maze of back stage.

Niklaus ignored the polite small talk between his brother and the former manager and let his gaze wander while they watched the rehearsal. The woman singing on stage soon caught his interest. The woman caught Klaus' intense, scrutinizing gaze and her heart rate quickened as she tried and failed to break eye contact. She swallowed hard as his eyes narrowed at the fact that she seemed to be frightened of him. He dropped his chin slightly, giving the woman a look before her attention snapped back to the conductor.

"_Niklaus_," Elijah said in a low voice, lingering behind Liam to scold his brother. "Now is not the time be a womanizer."

Niklaus repressed a smirk and chuckle at his brother's accusations before they easily caught up with Liam as he ventured to the middle of the stage.

"Excuse me," Liam said in his ever-shaky voice when the conductor halted the rehearsal to address a small issue.

"But, sir, we are in the middle of a rehearsa-"

"I know, Monsieur, I am aware but this will only take a short moment. I need everyone's attention! Madame Flemming, if you please," Liam snapped with his false bravery. The woman whom he addressed rolled her eyes and snapped her head in Mr. Grant's direction dramatically, flipping her dark waves of hair over her shoulder. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, for some weeks there have been rumors of my imminent retirement. I can now tell you that these are all true and it is my pleasure to introduce you to the two gentlemen who now own the Opera Populaire: Monsieur Elijah Mikaelson and his brother, Monsieur Niklaus."

There were mixed reactions to the announcement but the brothers were greeted rather warmly nonetheless. Klaus and Elijah nodded their heads in thanks for their welcome.

"Messieurs, may I have the honor of introducing Mademoiselle Katerina Petrova," Mr. Grant introduced the woman proudly. "She has been our lead soprano for five seasons."

Katerina's attendants cheered enthusiastically as she made her way to greet the brothers. Klaus kissed the woman's hand and looked up at her as he did so, a deadly glint in his eyes despite the way his dimples lit up his cheeks. Katerina recoiled her hand and backed away in alarm at Klaus' actions, her eyes wide. He was distracted a moment too long and was tugged backwards by the elbow.

"If you please, Messieurs," Madame Flemming snapped, striding over to the three gentlemen as Elijah pulled Klaus backwards. "We are in the middle of a rehearsal, after all."

"Of course, of course Madame Isobel. Perhaps you could discuss the ballet with Messieurs Elijah and Klaus and I shall take my leave?"

Isobel sighed and narrowed her eyes but otherwise did not oppose, "Very well," she said haughtily before walking off with her hands behind her back. "We take particular pride in the excellence of our ballet, Monsieur," she continued to explain to Klaus and Elijah as they followed her around the stage.

"I see why. Especially the young brunette," Elijah said casually and Klaus scoffed in disbelief. Of all the young women here, his brother would take interest in the young brunette.

"That is my daughter, Monsieur," Isobel replied proudly, a hint of warning in her voice. She glanced up at Elijah before her eyes flickered back to her daughter. She observed the girl's movements carefully before continuing, "Elena Gilbert."

"And that blonde there, quite the pretty little thing. No relation, I trust?" Klaus inquired, pointing out the girl had spoken of. His statement only earned him a pointed look and a mouthed warning from Elijah but Klaus decided if Elijah was now 'womanizing' it was acceptable for him to as well.

"Caroline Forbes. Promising talent, Monsieur, _very _promising. She and her father moved to Paris shortly after the death of her mother. I practically raised her with Elena- our families go back a long ways. Caroline has been training with us ever since her father died when she was twelve," Isobel said, lacing her hands together behind her back as they crossed to the other side of the stage. They stood in silence for a time, simply watching the rehearsal. Klaus for the most part ignored the small comments Elijah made to him and the small talk that passed between his brother and Isobel until he had enough.

"As fun as this has been, brother, you'll have to excuse me from your little excursion. I have my own business to attend to," Klaus whispered to Elijah.

"Very well. Do know that I expect you back this evening for the performance, Niklaus," Elijah responded without looking at his brother.

"I wouldn't miss it for the _world_, Elijah," he said over his shoulder, smirking as he walked away.

"I take it that your brother does not have much patience for these type of things, does he, Monsieur?" Isobel asked, turning to watch Klaus' retreating back.

Elijah chuckled, "Do not let Niklaus' rough exterior fool you. He is very much a renaissance man and has a deep appreciation for the fine arts. I must take responsibility for his moodiness this time, Madame. Our acquisition of the Opera Populaire came as quite the surprise to him seeing as he has an…unexplainable interest in the supernatural and seems to be distrustful of your Opera Ghost. I do apologize for his behavior and I hope you don't take it to heart."

"He is smart to be wary of our friend," Isobel said thoughtfully. She pursed her lips and laced her hands behind her back, eyes never leaving the activity on stage. "I suppose it is your responsibility to deal with the Opera Ghost, now. Rehearsal is just about to conclude. Follow me, Monsieur Elijah, and I shall tell you what is necessary for you to know about the phantom just, _please_ stay out of the way of my dancers!" she warned, turning on her heel and walking off stage with Elijah following briskly behind her.

* * *

"Caroline, where are we going?" Elena whispered, following behind the blonde cautiously.

"We're going back to our dressing rooms just like we're supposed to, Elena. Just taking a little detour, that's all. It isn't a big deal- I come this way all the time."

"Because you wander off! We'll be in so much trouble if my mother finds out we've been back here."

"I don't wander, 'Lena. And since when are you so superstitious about being back here?" Caroline asked with a playful smile. "Weren't you just saying the other night that you didn't believe a word Katerina said about all these things that have been happening to her? That you think she's just out for more attention?" Caroline said with a pointed look and a sly smile.

"_Caroline_," Elena hissed. "You swore you wouldn't repeat any of that!"

"And who's around to hear it? Oh, the Ghost, of course! Silly me, I forgot!" And with another playful smile, Caroline ran off into the darkness, leaving Elena alone.

"Caroline!" Elena called. "Caroline this isn't funny!"

The brunette could hear Caroline laughing so she put on her brave face and walked off into the dark shadows, following her friend's laughter when it suddenly stopped.

"Seriously, Care? Where are yo-" Elena tripped over something and lost her balance. Righting herself, she peered closer to see what cause her to stumble.

As soon as she could make out what it was laying there in the darkness, Elena screamed.

**A/N: :)startin' off with a cliffy. **

**I know I said I would finish 'Movie Night' before I updated this one again but I couldn't resist. And yes, while this a Klaroline retelling of 'Phantom of the Opera' I'm sticking to the major plot points and rearranging stuff and all that jazz so just bear with me!**

**Thanks for reading! Please take a minute to tell me what you think in a review:)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything...Phantom _or _Vampire Diaries...unfortunately.**

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

"Why can we not speak of it out in the open?" Elijah asked, following Isobel into the maze of backstage to an eerily quiet spare room that he assumed was her office seeing as various ballet costumes were hanging on clothing racks and a large amount of point shoes piled in a corner.

"The Opera Ghost is means many things to us, Monsieur. He has embedded himself in all of our minds in various forms. For many of the older members of our company, he is real but to the younger girls he is merely a tale but, nonetheless, he effects all of us. In my experience working with his interests, it is best to speak of these matters in private seeing as the Ghost is a very private dealer. Monsieur Grant acquiesced to his every request after one incident a couple years ago involving Katerina Petrova; he was very wary of the Ghost's requests," Isobel responded.

"And?"

"And ever since then, the Ghost has been fairly quiet. He sends monthly messages to me to remind us that his salary of twenty thousand francs are due and that he always expects box number five to remain open so he may attend performances if he so wishes."

Elijah laughed in disbelief, "You pay an unknown entity a salary?"

"I would suggest you not laugh at things you do not understand, Monsieur. As I said, the Ghost is many things. Part genius…part magician…he is incredibly intelligent and cunning. And vengeful. He can be _quite_ vengeful. In the end, he always gets what he wants so I must suggest you be careful in the way you speak about him, Elijah," Isobel said, her tone serious and a flicker of fear shone in her dark eyes.

"Madame, I understand that this…so-called phantom has you all frightened. Please forgive me, but I simply cannot believe in this entity that is allegedly haunting the Opera Populaire to be anything but a hoax and I will refuse to be pushed around by an unknown force."

The head of the ballet pursed her lips, blinking heavily while nodding her head slowly. "Very well, Monsie-"

Isobel's sentence was cut off by a blood-curdling scream somewhere backstage. Elijah stood immediately and looked toward the door. Isobel's eyes widened in alarm as she looked towards the door, her eyes flickered briefly back to Elijah's face.

"Do not say I did not warn you of the Phantom of the Opera, Monsieur," she said before another scream resonated through the halls of the Palais Garnier and Isobel sped out of the door with Elijah on her heels.

Isobel moved so swiftly through the twist and turns that made up back stage that Elijah nearly had trouble keeping up. Isobel stopped abruptly and put her hand to her heart.

"What happened?" the choreographer demanded, kneeling down to examine something. Caroline and Elena exchanged nervous glances but neither answered.

"We found her like this," Elena finally whispered, glancing at Caroline. The blonde hesitantly nodded in agreement.

Isobel nodded slowly as she moved a strand of hair out of Katerina's face, "Katerina?" Isobel asked gently.

The Prima Dona seemed oblivious to all that was happening around her. She stared straight ahead into the darkness with wide, frightened eyes. She was shaking and her breathing was shallow. Elijah could smell blood and he knelt down beside Isobel. Slow and cautious in his movements, he reached out to the woman but she shied away from him, exposing her neck and his sharp eyes caught the red, sticky liquid that covered her skin underneath her hand.

"He's here. The Phantom," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "He attacked me."

Isobel said, standing up and pulling Katerina with her, "Let's get into the light so we can see your injuries better." She ushered Katerina past Elijah before turning to look at the two girls, "What? Do you two really think simply because you found her means you get out of trouble? Come on, girls."

Elena and Caroline exchanged defeated looks and walked slowly in Isobel's direction. Elijah watched them go with an amused expression before turning to follow at the end of their little line.

"I _told_ you we'd get in trouble," he heard Elena whisper. "Where were did you go? You just disappeared."

Caroline was silent for a moment before responding, "I…That's the point of 'hide and seek', 'Lena," she whispered back as if it were the easiest thing in the world to understand.

The rest of the journey was silent as they made their way towards the front of the Opera House.

"What happened?!" a man asked and Elijah recognized the maestro as they came out of the wing and onto the stage.

"Caroline and Elena found her backstage. She says the Ghost attacked her." Katerina nodded vigorously, one of her hands reaching up to hold her neck.

"Oh Madame, this is terrible! How will she perform tonight?! Look at her neck! Surely we will have to cancel," the maestro said with a shake of his head.

"No," Katerina said, regaining some volume to her voice. "No we shall not. I am able to sing, Maestro!"

"But your neck, Madame! With all the blood there, it is too much of a risk."

"No! It will not be a problem!"

"I'm afraid that I agree with the maestro. At least until we get a better look at your neck," Elijah said, doing his best to be reasonable. He pulled a handkerchief out of his coat pocket. "May I?"

Katerina flinched away from his touch, a flicker of fear in her eyes, and stormed to center stage. "Maestro, I am able to sing with or without this silly injury. It is merely a scratch. This pompous Ghost cannot stop me no matter how violent his threats are!"

"Madame, please," the maestro begged.

"No, Monsieur. I will not let this ghost win. He has been after me for too long!"

Elijah could not help the derisive snort that escaped him at the mention of the Opera Ghost. Four sets of eyes just looked at him in shock. "Forgive me. Really, I do not mean any offense but, as I told you Madame Flemming, I _cannot _believe in this Opera Ghost! Surely, Madame Katerina, you were walking in the dark and simply stumbled. It's the most plausible explanation."

"Let me get this straight, Monsieur Mikaelson," Katerina said, striding forward. "You come into our Opera House content to take on the responsibilities of owning it and yet you do not believe in the Ghost?" she accused.

"Madame, I see no reason to believe in this so-called ghost. A hoax is all it is."

"For three years, this _hoax _of yours has sabotaged me and you are just going to let the fact that I was attacked slip past, unnoticed?"

"Unless you can give me any detail on your alleged attacker, Madame Katerina, then yes, ignoring it is all I can do. I will do as I see fit to benefit the Opera Populaire."

"Then ignore this, Monsieur Mikaelson!" Katerina said, turning on her heel and storming past Elijah offstage. "I'll be very interested to see how you continue to do as you 'see fit' without _me_!"

Elijah watched her with a raised eyebrow, "Where is she going?"

"It seems, Monsieur, that you've run our lead soprano of _five seasons_ out of our opera house," Isobel explained, pursing her lips.

"And now we must really cancel the show. Merci beaucoup, Monsieur!" the Maestro exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Nonsense. Surely you have an…an understudy cast?" Elijah asked with a shrug, crossing his arms over his chest.

"An understudy! What madness is this? You do _not _simplycast an understudy to Katerina Petrova!"

"Caroline can sing it," Elena said sheepishly, biting her lip anxiously after she uttered her suggestion.

"_Elena_," Caroline hissed, averting her gaze to the floor as Elijah studied her. The girls had been so quiet through the ordeal that he had almost forgotten they were standing there.

"A _ballet girl_ take on the role that was previously held by _Katerina Petrova_?" the maestro scoffed. "That would be a disaster."

"Oh, come now, Maestro. Thanks to a _very_ generous, undisclosed sponsor, Caroline has been receiving voice lessons from a _great_ teacher. Let her sing for you. You will _not _be disappointed, Monsieur."

"What is your teacher's name, girl?"

Caroline opened her mouth and shut it again just as quickly. "Stefan Salvatore. We do not talk all that much in my lessons, though, it is merely business."

The Maestro raised an eyebrow and turned away, leaving the other four in silence. Elijah simply watched, thinking about how he would soon be refunding a full house for their tickets when he heard the piano being played in the pit.

"Mademoiselle," he called impatiently, the music stopping abruptly. "Are you going to sing for me or not?"

"Oh, right. Yes, Maestro. I'm sorry," Caroline said with a slight shake of her head as if she was ridding it of some undesired thought. She walked quietly to center stage and Elijah could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

"'Think of Me'. From the start, if you please, Mademoiselle Forbes."

Music flowed from the piano below the stage once more as Elijah, Elena, and Isobel watched intently. Caroline closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to sing.

"_Think of me, think of my fondly_

_When we've said goodbye. _

_Remember me, once in a while, _

_Please promise me you'll try. _

_Then you'll find that once again you long_

_To take your heart back and be free. _

_If you'll ever find a moment,_

_Spare a though-"_

The piano stopped once more and the Maestro stood from his position in the pit. Caroline stopped just as suddenly as the music and looked back at Isobel and Elena in alarm.

"Do not go anywhere," the maestro said. "I'm going to fetch Trevor so we can rehearse the duet. It seems we have a show to perform."

Elena rushed over to pull her friend into an enthusiastic hug. Even Elijah found himself giving the girl a small, approving nod as a truly breathtaking smile broke out across Caroline's face.

**A/N: Welp, Elijah's being disbelieving and Caroline got her chance to shine! I wonder who's eye she'll catch ;)**

**So, on a completely unrelated note, I've started another co-work with musicalfreak that you should check out if you haven't already- it's called 'Scene Stealers' and it's a bunch of crackfic Klaroline drabbles based off epic romance scenes from movies and books:)**

**Anyways, thanks for reading 'In Shadow' and hopefully the next update won't take as long since I've almost got chp 4 done...(I like to stay a chapter ahead of what I post so I know for sure the plot's working out). Review if you have a minute and tell me what you think! Until next chapter:) **


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries**

_**Chapter 3**_

Caroline stood, staring at herself in her hand-held mirror. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, simply taking in the foreign reflection. The girl staring back at her was different, to say the least. She had powdered skin and rosy cheeks with pale pink lips and sparkling blue eyes. Her blonde curls were pinned back out of her face by several star-like clips and spiraled delicately to her shoulder blades.

Caroline knew she was pretty but this just seemed surreal; she was a small town girl who had big dreams and had never, ever thought of getting this chance. And now, more than anything, she wished her father could be here to see her.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Caroline? Are you in there?" Elena called from the other side of the door, snapping Caroline out of her reverie.

"I'm here, Elena! I'm coming…I'll be there in just a second."

"Are you okay?"

"Of course! Never better. I'll be out in just a second, I promise. Go ahead," Caroline called back to her concerned friend.

"Alright. I'll see you after! Break a leg, Care!"

Caroline smiled as she felt some of her nerves leave her system. Taking a deep breath, she turned to leave the dressing room but turned back toward the vanity before she reached the door. She smiled at the candle that sat there, on the corner. When they had moved Caroline into Katerina's old room, the candle was the one of the only things that she had brought with her. Caroline lit the single candle in honor of her father before every performance.

"Here I go, daddy," she whispered. "Wish me luck. I love you." The girl turned back around and scurried to the door, throwing it open and making her way to the wings of the grand stage as quickly as the dress she was wearing allowed.

* * *

"Here we are! Let's go, Ty."

The boy in question groaned and leaned his head against the back of the carriage. This was the _last _place he wanted to be, that was for sure. "Are you serious, Uncle Mason?"

"Absolutely. All you've done since we got here is sulk. I brought you to Paris to prevent you from being a whiny adolescent, so you could live your life and not waste it behind that desk like my brother did."

"Let's get one thing straight, Mason. I didn't come because of you," Tyler said, climbing out of the buggy to face his uncle. "I came because my mom wanted me to get out for a while."

"So you could _live_ a little bit. What would she say if I brought you back across the channel just as a miserable as you were when we left?"

Tyler just rolled his eyes.

"Exactly. I'm supposed to be 'fun Uncle Mason,' remember?"

"And how is going to the _opera_ fun?"

"Okay, okay, I know it's not the best activity in the entire world," Mason said as the began to climb the stairs. "It's the _only _thing I really do for our family- show up to a rehearsal here and there, a performance if I'm feeling generous, to do my duties as patron."

"But how do you sit through it? Just a warning, I might fall asleep."

"Who do you think I am, Tyler? Our box has _plenty_ of whiskey. Besides, I want you to meet someone. She's coming to supper with us after the show," Mason finished as they entered and were warmly greeted by several people to whom Tyler was introduced, forcing him to put a smile on his face.

"Monsieur Lockwood! Pleasure to see you!"

"May I take your coat, sir?"

"Shall we escort you and young Master Lockwood to your box?"

"Will you have a moment after the show? You must meet the new owners!"

The last comment caught Mason's attention and he motioned to the man to walk with them as they ventured to their box.

"New owners, you say?"

"Yes, Monsieur. Arrived just this morning. Two brothers. I believe their last name is Mikaelson."

"I was unaware that Liam Grant had decided to move on."

"It came as a surprise to all of us, Mason, that's for sure. It has been quite the afternoon here with Mr. Grant's retirement, the new owners, and the Opera Ghost."

"The Opera Ghost?"

"Oh yes. There was an incident today involving our…friend."

"This must be the first in a while, am I right? What happened?"

"You know how word travels and rumors spread, Monsieur Lockwood. I do not know the full story. All I know is that it involved Katerina Petrova; it seems the Ghost is still out to get her."

The group stopped outside of a door and the attendant opened it for them. Mason clapped him on the shoulder, "Tell the Mikaelsons that I will be pleased to meet them after the performance. Perhaps they can join my nephew and I for a round of drinks. Thank you, Slater."

"Of course, Monsieur Lockwood. If there is _anything_ else you and your young friend need, you know where to find me. I hope you enjoy the show, I hear there is quite a pleasant surprise in store."

And with that, Slater pulled the door open and Mason walked into Box Number Five with Tyler on his heels.

* * *

Despite Elijah's supernatural hearing, Klaus still tried to try to sneak into the suite that was reserved for the owners and their guests.

"You're late, Niklaus."

"Better late than never, eh, brother?" Klaus replied, now striding arrogantly into the box and sitting beside his brother.

"And what did you deem so important this time?"

_ "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"_

_ Caroline looked up into bright blue eyes and full lips pulled upwards into a smirk as strong hands steadied her. _

_ "Oh my, I'm so sorry! I…I wasn't expecting anyone to be back here this late."_

_ "That's quite alright, sweetheart. No harm done…imagine what horror would have befallen you had I not caught you. I wouldn't want my brother to run off two prima donnas in one day, now would I?"_

_ "I guess not, Monsieur," Caroline said, backing out of the man's arms. She waited for him to say something but he never did as he continued to study her intently. "Well…um, I better go. I'd never hear the end of it if I was late to my first performance," she said, backing away slightly and looking at the floor bashfully._

_ "Ah, yes. Of course, Mademoiselle. I would hate to keep you from the spotlight," he said with a smirk. He gave her a slight bow before capturing her small hand in his much larger one. "I wish you the best of luck tonight, Miss Forbes. I know you will be magnificent," he said, looking up at her as his lips brushed against the back of her hand, his blue orbs boring into her own with a devilish glint that Caroline couldn't quite place._

"_And, please, call me Klaus."_

Klaus pursed his lips, "I believe I told you earlier that I had my own business to attend to. Just because you prefer to share your personal endeavors does not mean I do the same, 'Lijah."

Elijah just rolled his eyes. "We'll be meeting our patron, Mason Lockwood, after the performance. You're to be on your _best_ behavior, Niklaus."

"Please, Elijah. Do not treat me as a child. I will be on my 'best behavior' as long as this patron is on his," he quipped, blue eyes scanning the crowd. Something caught his enhanced senses, an odd feeling in his stomach as his narrowed eyes landed on two men settle into their seats in a box on the opposite side of the theater.

* * *

If Tyler had been sulking before they came to the opera, he was _miserable_ now. He sat, slouching in his seat beside his uncle, staring blankly at the stage, wistfully trying to drown out the singing that was taking place below him.

Mason nudged him and leaned over slightly, "You know how I said that I wanted to introduce you to some one? She's about to sing. Her name's Katerina Petrova. She's the girl I've been seeing and she's marvelous."

The teen resisted the urge to snort while Mason turned his full attention to the stage as the song began. He looked on with feigned interest as a young blonde took center stage.

"_Think of me, think of my fondly_

_When we've said goodbye_

_Remember me once in a while_

_Please promise me you'll try_

_Then you'll find that once again you long_

_To take your heart back and be free"_

She was talented _and _gorgeous, Tyler would give Mason credit for that but there was something about this Katerina Petrova that was so familiar to Tyler. He leaned over to his uncle and whispered in his ear, "Have I met her before? She looks awfully familiar, Uncle Mason."

"That's _not _Katerina Petrova. I don't know who that is but it is most definitely _not _Katerina."

There were several different emotions in his uncle's voice but they all told Tyler the same thing. His uncle was not happy, not in the least. Choosing to ignore Mason's sudden and foul mood swing, Tyler turned his attention back to the stage, determined to figure out how he knew the girl.

"_Recall those days, look back on all those times_

_Think of those things we'll never do_

_There will never be a day_

_When I won't think of you."_

It all came back to Tyler in a rush. There were childhood memories of summer afternoons where he ran around, carefree, with his best friend, Matthew Donovan and the little girl with wispy blonde ringlets who bossed, or tried to boss them around. Then there were the days of their schooling and cotillion lessons, Tyler walking the girl home on crisp fall nights. Hearing her laugh at his jokes, her bright smile lighting up not only her clear blue eyes but their surroundings as well. There was laughter and smiles, tears and fights- especially when he and Matt had realized they both had feelings for the same girl- but mostly there was complete happiness.

But none of it mattered because there was the memory of death and the same, strong, beautiful blonde girl sobbing into her shoulder when a particularly violent fight at a pub took her father away from her when, being the responsible police officer William Forbes had been trying to do his job. To Tyler, this memory was the worst. Not only had his hometown lost one of their best police officers but also his childhood love, now an orphan, had been taken away from him, sent to live in Paris with a family friend.

But, now, Tyler had found her.

"_Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade_

_They have their seasons, so do we_

_But please promise me that sometimes_

_You will think of me!"_

"_Caroline_."

Maybe the opera wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

"Why are you so agitated?"

"Because I'm _bored_. I don't want to be here any longer, Elijah."

"Just a few moments longer, brother. We must greet the Patron. He is a _very _integral part of our support staff."

"Right you are, Monsieur Mikaelson! Mason Lockwood at your service," a new man said, sticking his hand out forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Klaus stiffened upon seeing Mason as his brother greeted the Patron with a warm smile and firm handshake. He resisted the urge to growl and snap his brother's neck then and there.

"Elijah. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mason. May I introduce my brother, Niklaus," Elijah said, nudging Klaus with his elbow imperceptibly. Klaus didn't smile as he reached out to shake Mason's hand, gripping it a little harder than necessary.

"It's a pleasure, gentlemen," Mason replied as Klaus' narrowed eyes landed on the tan skinned, brown-eyed boy behind Mason. "And this," Mason pulled him forward by the elbow, "is my nephew, Tyler. His father recently passed away and is spending time in Paris for a while."

"My condolences, Tyler. Niklaus and I, too, know what it is like to loose a father at such a young age. I do hope you enjoy your time in Paris," Elijah said politely and Klaus had to fight even harder to resist the snort and eye roll that threatened his schooled expression of annoyance.

"I would say he was _miserable _until, oh about sixty minutes ago."

"Did you enjoy tonight's performance?"

"Parts of it," the boy answered gruffly, pressing his lips into a firm line.

"He particularly enjoyed the 'Think of Me' number. Speaking of, who was that girl?" Mason asked, his own facial features hardening.

"Ah, Mademoiselle Forbes! Such a talented girl, isn't she? I'm so glad she was able to take on the role in wake of Madame Petrova's departure."

"Departure? What do you mean? Katerina _never _misses a performance."

"If you'll excuse me, Uncle," Tyler said before Elijah could respond. "Slater told me he would show me around backstage."

Mason nodded as a sly smile crept upon his face, "Right. I'll come find you shortly, Tyler. Anyways, you were about to tell me what happened to Katerina."

* * *

Her performance. Her _first _performance as a lead and it couldn't have gone any better. Caroline couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she lived in the jubilation of success in the aftermath. Wherever he was, she knew her father was proud of her and from the sounds of it, the outside world was as well.

She could hear several audience members outside of her dressing room, asking for her to emerge, showering her with praise while two guards stood watch outside of her dressing room to give her the privacy she needed. Once again, the surreal feeling of it all struck Caroline as she began to take the glistening pins out of her hair. She was fingering through the blonde curls when one of the doors rattled.

"I'm very sorry, Monsieur, but you're not permitted entrance to Mademoiselle Forbes' dressing room."

"I think you'll find I am. I'm Mason's nephew, part of the Patron's family. If you'll excuse me, Messieurs."

"Of course. We beg your pardon, Monsieur."

The door was then pulled open and the uproar of the Operagoers increased as a man walked into the confines of her dressing room. Caroline's eyes widened and she turned to face her visitor. He shut the door and turned to look at her, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Well, what do we have here? Surely not the bossy little girl who chased after boys, shouting at them whenever they misbehaved but and placing blame on them when her hand got caught in the cookie jar. No, it's definitely not her. But it's not the same girl who cried because she was going to be stuck in our _tiny_ hometown forever…or the rebellious teenager who skipped church services and pranced on the deceased in the graveyard in the dead of night with laughter, a bottle of liquor in hand."

Caroline's startled expression began to melt as a bright smile of her own started to spread across her cheeks, lighting up her blue eyes.

"And, even though I liked that girl, this one seems…older and more mature but still mischievous."

"Do I even have to remind you who it was that _gave_ me that bottle of liquor? I still blame him for the awful headache I had the next morning. But I think I still see the boy who took the blame when I unfairly placed it upon him…and the one to tried to drown my dolls in the ocean and send them to 'accompany Jonah' with the tides."

"I did no such thing, Caroline Forbes! That was all Matt's doing."

"You still helped him smuggle them out to that beach, Tyler Lockwood! I happened to love those dolls."

Tyler smiled the biggest smile he had in the days since his father's death, "It's good to see you, Care. Look at you! A big time opera star? Where has the time gone?"

"Oh, please. I'm not even close to anything that Katerina was."

"From the sound of it you're even more…and I've never seen this other girl."

"She's incredibly talented, a bit stuck up and conceited, but talented nonetheless. I'm sure she'll be back to take her position in no time and I'll just go back to be-"

"No way. Do you even hear that out there, Caroline? That's for you! It's not going to go back to the way it was before if this Katerina woman comes back. No way."

"Tyler, don't be ridiculous. Katerina Petrova is one of the best. She'll get her spot back if she wants it."

"And what would your father think about that if you just gave it up? He was the one who inspired you and gave you all these delusions and tales about this 'Angel of Music' after all."

Caroline sighed, her smile turning wistful accompanied by an eye roll, "Of course. The 'Angel of Music' _still_ sings songs in my head. He has watched over me, Tyler. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere if father hadn't found the Angel when he went to join them."

"Care, what are you talking about?"

"My teacher, Stefan Salvatore! Father found the Angel and the Angel sent Stefan to me. He's the best teacher...I wouldn't be anywhere without him."

"Please, Caroline," Tyler scoffed in amusement. "You're still full of tales, that's for sure. We both know that you've always been a talented singer…talent that no teacher could put a claim to."

"Maybe so, but I believe that Stefan was sent to me by the Angel and my father and nothing you say will change that," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I've missed you, Caroline," Tyler said, enveloping his childhood friend in a tight hug.

"I've missed you, too, Ty. It is _so _good to see you again," she said, smiling into Tyler's shoulder as she returned his hug. "What are you doing in Paris?! Besides harassing me, of course."

"My father died a month and a half ago."

"Oh, Tyler. I know he wasn't the best father but I'm _so_ sorry. I know how it feels."

"Don't be. Anyways, my Uncle came back into town for the funeral and when he felt like he could leave without my mom falling over from depression, she insisted I come back here with him. Long story cut short, here I am."

"Sorry if I can't remember correctly but 'fun Uncle Mason' doesn't seem the type to be frequenting the Opera house," Caroline said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, well, neither did I but the Lockwood's _are_ the Patrons of the Opera Populaire. But even then, it caught me by surprise. Apparently he had a thing for Katerina and wanted me to meet her tonight, we were all supposed to dine together after the performance."

"That's rather unfortunate. You both just missed her…left town, well at least the opera, a few hours ago thanks to the new owners."

Tyler laughed at Caroline's sarcastic remarks. "Hey!" he said suddenly. "Why don't you come with us? I don't know this other girl but from what you've said, you sound like better company anyways."

"I'm not sure, Tyler. I'd love to but…but I don't know! I normally dine with Isobel and Elena bu-"

"Please, Caroline? You're the only person other than my Uncle that I know here and I haven't seen you, or even heard from you for that matter, in _ages_. You owe me."

"Fine," Caroline huffed, giving in to Tyler's begging. "But you two will return me to Isobel's home afterwards. I have a lesson in the morning that I _cannot_ be late to."

"Sure! I'll give you a few moments to get ready!" Tyler said, walking backwards towards the door. He turned and opened it, telling Slater to go find Mason and tell him dinner was still on.

Thirty minutes later, he was escorting Caroline to the main lobby where his Uncle was still conversing tensely with the Mikaelson brothers.

"Uncle! Are you ready?"

"Yes, it's about time, Ty…Oh God. Caroline Forbes is that you?"

The blonde smiled shyly, "I'm surprised you remember me, Mason."

"Oh, you're a tough one to forget, kid, what with your rather large and obvious childhood crush on me."

Caroline's eyes widened and a blush stained her cheeks.

"I can't be the only one who is lost, here. How do you and your nephew know Mademoiselle Forbes?" Elijah asked, sparing a look at Klaus as the other man looked on with feigned interest to mask his agitation and boredom.

"Oh, Caroline and Tyler grew up together! I used to watch over them and that Matthew Donovan boy when our parents went to town functions."

"Well, it is quite the small world, isn't it?" Klaus asked, finally speaking up, sarcasm dripping from his mouth. He let his gaze linger on Caroline, a small but easy smile pulling the corners of his mouth upwards, "You performed well tonight, sweetheart. Just like I said you would."

"Yes, yes! You sounded lovely this evening, my dear. It was quite a close call this afternoon. I trust you will be staying with us?"

"Of course, Monsieur Mikaelson. I'm not sure where else I would go," Caroline replied with a small smile, her cheeks still stained pink from the praise she was receiving.

"You always have a home here at the Opera Populaire."

"Thank you, Monsieur."

"Well, I believe our carriage is waiting. We should be heading off, Tyler. Gentlemen, it was a pleasure meeting you two. I look forward to doing business with you," Mason said, shaking both Klaus and Elijah's hands.

"Yes, we wouldn't want to keep you tonight. I'm sure you have _big_ plans," Klaus said dryly, a sadistic smile forming on his lips to match the dark flash in his eyes.

"Yes. It is rather unfortunate you and your brother cannot join us. Maybe another time," Mason said, nodding at the younger Mikaelson before turning on his heel and ushering Tyler and Caroline towards the door.

"Save your breath, Elijah," he said as he watched the threesome disappear into the night and Elijah eyed him in exasperation "You could have told me that our _charming_ Patron was a werewolf."

* * *

Caroline woke up the next morning and stretched, a small noise escaping her throat. She sat up and squinted against the bright sunlight that was creeping through the drapes on her window as she thought back to the night before.

Catching up with Tyler had been lovely and even Mason hadn't been that bad of company. At least until a panicked look had crossed his face as a small pop sounded at the table.

_"That's what happens when you get to be as advanced in age as I am, kids. What time is it? It must be past my bedtime," Mason said with a laugh, rubbing his wrist._

_ "It's only quarter 'til ten, Uncle. Don't try to be the upstanding citizen since Caroline is with us," Tyler said._

_ "Well, be that as it may, the real fun starts in a few minutes. And I mean the adult fun, not for little kids like yourselves. Tyler, can I trust you to get Miss Caroline home _safely_?"_

_ "Sure. Are you alright, Uncle?"_

_ "Never better. Just things to do, people to see, you know the deal. It was lovely to see you again, Caroline. I hope we do this again."_

_ "Good night, Mason. Thank you for dinner."_

_ "My pleasure. Now I really must be going. You two can take the carriage."_

_ And then Mason was headed towards the door as quickly as possible._

_ "No idea what got into him," Tyler said, watching his Uncle's retreating back. "Let's get you home then. I wouldn't want you to be late for your lesson in the morning."_

_ "Please, Tyler," Caroline said with a laugh and an eye roll. "There's no need for _you_ to act like the upstanding citizen now that Mason isn't here to monitor you…or you to monitor his actions!"_

_ "Fine, if you insist. Let's go, though. I've had enough of this stuffy restaurant."_

_ The two had ventured outside and walked along the road, deciding against the carriage to enjoy the fresh night air. The streets were quiet, not a sole but Tyler and Caroline wandering along them, the full moon shining brightly in the sky. _

_ It was then she heard the growl…_

But then, Tyler had joked about the growl being her mind and the alcohol playing tricks on her. They had shown up at the Flemming household a few moments later and Tyler had left her on the front door step, watching as she stepped over the threshold.

And then she had woken up.

Caroline wasn't sure what had happened last night but no matter how fuzzy her memory was, it felt like there was something there behind the fog fighting to escape.

She shook her head slowly and got out of bed, vowing never to consume that much alcohol again.

**A/N: Hey guys! A very special thank you to _musicalfreak_ (even though I've already thanked her like 239750293 times lol) she's been so incredibly helpful with this fic, especially this chapter! So, if you haven't already, check out her fics 'To Make Up My Mind' and 'You Kill Me, Please Don't Stop'...both are fabulous and so is she!**

**If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm taking a lot of artistic license with the original 'Phantom of the Opera' and I hope you enjoy the twists and turns that up! I hope you enjoyed this chapter...let me know what you think if you have a minute...I like hearing your theories;) Thanks for reading, guys!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaires**

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Two and a half weeks later**_

Caroline sighed, trying to cover up a giggle, stopping dead in her tracks right in front of the door to her dressing room.

"Is there a problem? C'mon, I'm bringing you to your dressing room."

"Tyler! We have a performance tonight and you seriously can't be back here."

"I know. Let's go! The longer we stand here, the more likely I am to be found and get you in trouble."

Caroline rolled her eyes and turned around with an amused sigh, "No. _I_ have to go to my dressing room to prepare for the run through and performance tonight. _You_ have to leave."

"But…I only got to see you for like thirty minutes. And talk to you for even less time than that."

"You'll see me again tonight, silly," Caroline said, looking up at him under long lashes. "You should go home and get ready for that, instead of dwelling around here all day. You'll get bored and restless. Monsieur Elijah doesn't want me wasting my energy so I won't be able to entertain you unless you want to try on dresses and put makeup on."

Tyler pursed his lips and made a sour face. "I think I'll pass but only because you're forcing me to leave you alone."

"You are such a child, Tyler. Now, seriously, as fun as this back and forth thing has been, I have things to do to get ready. So, go on. I'll see you later."

"But Mason has been so _boring_ lately. Ever since dinner a couple weeks ago, he's been moody and…and just _not _Mason."

"Have you tried talking to him? Maybe he's still upset about Katerina for disappearing off the face of the planet without so much as a note?"

"I don't know but it's getting old."

"Is that why you are _constantly_ showing your face around here, mister?" Caroline asked with a raised eyebrow and amused look.

"Maybe," Tyler replied, mirroring her amusement for a moment before he looked at his shoes and then shyly back at her. "Maybe it's because you and Mason are my only friends here."

"Oh, Ty," Caroline breathed, lifting a hand to cup his cheek. "Well, the only thing I can tell you is to go out and _make _friends. No one can do that for you."

"Well it's not easy…nobody wants to befriend the loner, the spoiled brat who doesn't care about anything unless it directly involves him."

"And now you're being dramatic. You have your moments, Ty, we all do but you're a good person…and you'd do well to remember that. So, since you've been stalling and keeping me from my Prima Dona duties, maybe you should run along and start making some friends? Just possibly…for me?"

"Geez, okay. If you really want to push me away….,"

"Yes! Unless you want to accept the makeup and costume offer…?"

"Okay, okay! I'm gone, Care," he said with a laugh as he turned on his heel and started to take a step forward. He stopped short and turned to say something over his shoulder, "You know…maybe I could help you with your makeup? Just like when we were lit-"

"Tyler!"

He just laughed as she pushed him on his way. With an annoyed laugh and disbelieving look at Tyler's back, Caroline shook her head and turned to open the door to her dressing room.

"I hope that offer was only for him."

"Stefan!" Caroline exclaimed, her eyes growing wide in alarm. "I wasn't expecting you today!"

Her music tutor was sitting at her vanity, facing the door with his elbows on his knees. He looked up at her, green eyes meeting blue, and smiled. "No, you're not late, Caroline. I wasn't scheduled to come today."

"Oh. Well…sorry if this sounds rude, I don't mean it that way and I don't want to offend you or anything bu-"

"No offense taken. I get this is a little odd but your sponsor wanted me to bring you this," he said, sitting up and holding out a single, long-stemmed, _perfect _blood red rose with a flawlessly tied, pristine black ribbon wrapped around the vibrant green stem.

Caroline studied it for a moment, her eyes flickering from Stefan's face to the rose. She hesitantly stepped towards her tutor and slowly took the rose from his hand and studied it, letting her fingers skim across the soft, delicate petals.

"Is that all?"

"No. He wishes to tell you that, while he knows you will perform perfectly, he would like to pass along his well wishes."

"And why couldn't he come and tell me this himself? I'd really like to know who the angel is."

Stefan chuckled as he stood up and placed a hand on either of her small shoulders, "Maybe that's all part of the allure, the mystery, the enchantment. Maybe he feels that if he came to you himself, you wouldn't be as… accepting of him and his generosity. Besides, he wouldn't be an 'undisclosed sponsor,' then, would he?"

"I guess not," Caroline huffed. "I still want to know who he is."

"All in good time, Caroline. All in good time," Stefan said with a smirk and a mysterious glint in his eyes.

"And I'm just going to have to take your word for it?" Stefan's smirk fell into an easy smile as he nodded his head. "Fine. If you see him, would you please tell my 'generous, undisclosed sponsor,' I am very grateful for his interest in me and my career."

"Of course. Now, I really need to be going. I have places to go and sponsors to meet with," he said with a wink and a smirk as he stood up.

"And now you're just teasing me."

"Of course, Caroline. That's what I'm here for, is it not?"

Caroline shook her head and Stefan could feel her eyes watching him as he shut the door behind him, leaving her alone to contemplate the small token. He walked briskly along the backstage corridors and nearly ran straight into Elijah.

"Excuse me, Monsieur," he said, smoothly stepping aside to hold the door open for the owner.

"Monsieur Salvatore! What a pleasant surprise," Isobel said from behind Elijah. "We weren't expecting you today…I hope Caroline was here. That mischievous child has been running around with that Lockwood boy lately, she sometimes doesn't return home until past midnight!"

"Oh, yes Madame Flemming. I saw Caroline but, don't worry. I just stopped by to pass along a token from her sponsor."

"Ah. Her so-called 'Angel of Music'."

"That would be the one," Stefan said with an eye roll and a fond shake of the head. "I guess no one has the heart to tell her that she's just naturally talented."

"Caroline is much too bright and has suffered too much for me to be able to do that. It would crush her bright spirit," Isobel said, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder with a kind smile. "Good day, Stefan."

"Good day to you as well, Madame Flemming. Monsieur Mikaelson," Stefan replied with a slight nod to the owner of the Opera Populaire before heading out into the Parisian streets, leaving Elijah and Isobel in the corridor.

"Well?" the head of the ballet questioned, holding out a folded piece of dated looking parchment in front of Elijah.

"Well, what, Madame Flemming?"

"Monsieur Mikaelson you know very well _what_. This is not the first time he's sent me notes."

"Yes, yes, Isobel. 'Several notes of amiable nature' that I have _purposefully_ ignored," Elijah quipped as he began walking again, Isobel hurrying to keep up with his brisk strides, "and your so-called Ghost has not acted out once. I believe I told you the day I took over the Opera Populaire that I would not deal with a hoax. My ignorance seems to be paying off, wouldn't you agree?"

"I cannot say, especially since he hasn't stopped sending me notes since the night our wonderful," Elijah didn't miss the sarcasm dripping from woman's speech, "Patron and his nephew came to the performance and _sat _in Box Number 5. That is the Phantom's box, Elijah," Isobel said under her breath as a group of young ballet girl skipped past giggling and laughing while bidding the two 'Good Morning'. "If you continue to ignore these notes, maybe should take up the matter with your brother. While he rarely shows his face around here, at least Monsieur Klaus seems to have the right idea about our friend."

Elijah let an amused chuckle escape his lips, "He may put on an act otherwise but Niklaus fears no one. And, technically, Isobel," Elijah countered, "the box in question belongs to the Lockwood family and I am powerless to do anything about this 'dispute' unless this 'Ghost' presents himself in person with his right to claim that box."

Isobel sighed in annoyance, "Very well, Monsieur."

Elijah smiled down at her, "I knew you would see it my way, Madame. Now go on and attend to the Corps de Ballet. We have another big night ahead of us!" With that, the brunette gave Isobel a pointed look, smiled, and turned on his heel to walk away.

She scowled at Elijah's back for several moments before turning in the opposite direction.

* * *

It was nearly 6:15 by the time Isobel was knocking impatiently and urgently on the door of Mason Lockwood's luxurious apartment. After several minutes the man pulled the door open.

"Madame Flemming," he greeted, a lazy smile appearing to erase the disgruntled expression on his features when he first opened the door. "It's a little late for you to be knocking on my door, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is Monsieur Lockwood. If you'll please drop your charming charade and let me in so I can return to the opera house as quickly as possible," Isobel stated. She didn't wait for an invitation before striding past Mason into his home and the door shut behind her.

"Now, Madame Flemming, this obviously is no joy visit. What is troubling you?"

"Where's your nephew?"

"Oh, Tyler? You just missed him. He's probably already at our beloved Opera Populaire."

"And you're not accompanying him?"

"I haven't been for some time. Come now, Isobel. You know the opera isn't really my thing," he said with a smirk before taking a drink of the amber liquid in his crystal glass. "Is that all? Any message I can pass along to him when he returns?"

Isobel was silent for a moment, gauging how to best approach the subject. "He's been sending notes, Mason. The Phantom."

The amusement on Mason's face dropped immediately as his interest piqued with the turn in the conversation. "Has he now? Does Monsieur Mikaelson know?"

Isobel nodded sadly, "He doesn't believe it, Mason. I worry for the fate of the Opera Populaire if he continues to neglect the Phantom's wishes what with his violent reputation and all."

"Wouldn't I love for him to show his face so I could eat him and solve the problem," Mason growled under his breath. "What is his wish this time?"

"It's simple, really. He just wants his box to remain empty."

"Shouldn't be a problem. Who's been occupying it?"

"That's where the problem lies, Mason. Before it was never an issue because you hardly come to performances and when you do, you rarely venture upstairs."

"What are you getting at, Madame Flemming?"

"The box the Phantom has always laid claim to is Box Number Five… the very box owned by the Lockwood's…where your nephew has been every performance since Caroline Forbes made her debut."

* * *

Elijah stood up and applauded briefly, a satisfied smile on his face, before turning to leave his box. He stepped on something discarded on the carpeted floor and reached down to pick it up. It was another piece of folded, aged parchment with Monsieur Mikaelson was scrawled across the middle in small but fine cursive.

Elijah looked around, not recalling someone entering the box during the performance nor did he remember anything falling out of his pockets. With a sigh, he unfolded the parchment.

_Greetings, Monsieur,_

_You asked for an audience and this is the closest you will ever get. In fact, I am feeling gracious even sending this note directly to you._

_It seems, sir, that you are ignoring my wishes and I do _not_ take lightly to those who betray their deals with me. I have given you more than enough time to adjust to the responsibilities that come with owning the Opera Populaire but you continue to gloss over the most important detail so let us get one thing straight, Monsieur Mikaelson: the titles to the Opera Populaire may be in your name but _I _run this organization. You are to do as _I_ say, no questions asked._

_Now that's out of the way, asking for _my _box to remain empty seems to be a simple enough request, don't you agree?_

_In my experience, those who refuse to obey respond best to displays of violence and perhaps that is what it will take for you to acquiesce my desires. I do wonder how well our beloved Opera Populaire will fair without our charming Patron._

_Let's find out, shall we?_

_O.G._

Elijah's brows furrowed as he looked up.

From across the theater he could see someone leaving the infamous Box Number Five.

* * *

"So did you make any new friends earlier today?" Caroline asked as she and Tyler walked, arm in arm, through the Parisian streets.

"Well, I don't know if you could call them 'friends' quite yet."

"But you found people to talk to? That's so great, Tyler!"

"I guess. None of them match up to you, though. You've really been here for me the past few weeks…I thought being in Paris was going to be _miserable_ but, thanks to you, Mademoiselle Forbes," Tyler said with a smile, unlinking their arms only to take Caroline's hand and twirl her under his arm and into his chest, "it hasn't been half bad."

Caroline smiled up at him, blue eyes twinkling, "It's been nice to have you here, too, Tyler. I've missed you. I don't want you to leave…whenever it is you have to go home."

Tyler nodded in agreement. "Good thing it's an undisclosed date," he chuckled, lifting a hand to caress her face, thumb stroking her cheek. Tyler slowly leaned down, inching forward to capture her lips in a brief, innocent kiss. Caroline smiled against his lips and melted into her childhood love's embrace for a short-lived moment.

"Tyler! Good to see you again!" someone called.

The two jumped apart and studied the interloper. He was tall and bulky with a menacing air about him. His eyes were fogged over and far off as he stumbled closer.

"Do you know him?" Caroline whispered, moving to stand closer to Tyler, clutching his arm.

"Yeah," he answered, maneuvering so Caroline was slightly behind him, protected from the drunk approaching them. "He's one of the guys I met today. G' evening, Dean!"

"You failed to mention that you're seeing a girl, Lockwood!" Dean said, eyeing Caroline to give her a once over. "That's too bad…you would have made one hell of a wingman."

Tyler pushed Caroline farther behind him as Dean's fist swung through the air. Tyler dodged it and quickly reacted, swinging his own fist at Dean. "What the hell was that for?!" Tyler exclaimed, jumping back a step, pushing Caroline back with him, a protective hand on her waist.

"It's nothing personal. You see, my friends and I have some business to take care of," Dean said, motioning to a few more men who had joined them on the street, "We're just doing what we've been told."

Caroline screamed when Dean's fist hit Tyler squarely in the jaw with an inhuman speed, knocking him backwards off the walkway and into the cobblestone street. Caroline rushed to his side, kneeling down to aid Tyler, her hands brushing his shoulders. Dean moved again before Tyler could get up, kicking him in the gut.

"Run home, Caroline," Tyler grunted as two more of Dean's friends stalked forward. "Get out of here!"

She backed up instinctively as she prepared to run but was caught around the middle and pulled into the solid chest of another man. He held her tightly, rendering her struggles useless. "My, my, my what a pretty thing you are," he whispered into her ear. Disgusted, Caroline pulled her arm away and threw her elbow back into his face. She heard the crunch of the man's nose breaking and he let her go in surprise; she didn't have to think twice about running but she did make the mistake of looking over her shoulder to find Tyler.

He wasn't fighting a winning battle. Caroline knew from their childhood that Tyler was quite aggressive and, from the multiple physical fights he had gotten into over the years with Matt and other boys in their hometown, Tyler was a very knowledgeable fighter but these men were faster and stronger. He was swinging his fists recklessly, failing to land hits as the group seemed to move around him in a blur, hitting him relentlessly.

Caroline ran straight into someone and his large hands curled over her arms tightly. She looked up to see the man who held her earlier only, it appeared that his nose wasn't broken but completely healed. How could that be? Her eyes grew wide in fear as he smirked evilly down at her.

"Poppet, it's going to take a much harder hit than that to knock me out. Nice try, though," he whispered, licking his lips as he regarded her hungrily. She whimpered as the man tightened his hold on her even more, squeezing her wrists so that her hands felt like they were going to pop off her arms.

In another desperate move, Caroline spit in his face. The man growled, a feral, animalistic sound coming from deep within in his throat as he looked up at her, a glint of yellow flashing in his eyes. The move happened so fast that Caroline wasn't sure it was real until she felt the sting against her cheek and the twinge in her neck from being slapped so hard. The force of it brought tears to her eyes as the man's nails dug into her skin, drawing blood.

He let her go suddenly and Caroline stumbled backwards, away from him. She swore the man's eyes changed from their brown color to yellow and when he opened his mouth, pointed teeth hung down threateningly in his gaping mouth. He lunged at her, sharp teeth tearing at her pulse point as she screamed. But just as suddenly, another man barreled into the monster, knocking him off of her and causing even more damage.

Mason Lockwood turned back to look at her after he had wrestled on the ground with the other man. His eyes were the same yellow color and Caroline panicked for a minute, scooting backwards from where she lay on the street before he sprang away and joined the main scuffle.

"Mademoiselle Forbes? Mademoiselle? Are you alright?"

Caroline recognized the face of Mason's coach driver, Jacques. She nodded her head as he crept closer to her, tears burning her eyes, as he pulled out his handkerchief to hold to the injury on her neck. He motioned for her to move her hand out of the way and she did so, the cloth made painful contact with the wound. It didn't last long as the man was dragged away. There was a loud pop as Jacques' neck was twisted and broken in one movement sudden jerk of two large hands. Caroline screamed once more, tears falling on her cheeks as she looked at the limp body sprawled in front of her, his head lulled to the side at an odd angle. She looked up, expecting another attack but saw Tyler staring down at the butler in shock.

"Oh my God," he muttered, kneeling down to take the man's pulse.

"Is…is he…? Tyler, did you kill him?!"

"Oh my God. I…I didn't mean to… I didn't…shit I'm so sorry. Jacques? Jacques, wake up! Shit, shit, shit! I didn't mean to k-" he yelped, back bending backwards, and was unable to finish his sentence. Tyler's hands went to his head, holding it between them as if he had a headache. He was screaming in pain before he fell to his knees and looked up at her.

His eyes had turned yellow.

"Tyler!" Caroline screamed. "Tyler what's happening?!"

He was breathing hard, a sheen of sweat coating his face as blood ran down his nose, eyes still yellow as he looked into Caroline's face. Mason ran over to the two and started to kneel down, "Come on, you two. We only have a moment befo-" Mason stopped short when he saw the driver's body. His alarmed gaze went to his nephew immediately and took in the yellow eyes fear and the young face twisted in fear. He moved to grip Tyler's shoulders and pull the boy up, keeping a hand around him for support. Without so much as a second glance at Caroline, Mason and Tyler sped off into the night.

Caroline looked after them in confusion, a sick feeling in her stomach as she began to feel sleepy. Remembering her wound, she brushed her hand off on her dress and pressed it against her torn flesh, whimpering at the pain. A noise caught her attention and she looked away from Jacques' body to where the skirmish had started. She could make out Dean pulling himself to his feet, his eyes narrowed on her and from several feet away she could make out the yellow in his eyes that would haunt her even in death.

The man began lurking towards her, like a predator closing in on its prey and Caroline knew she had no chance. Dean lunged and she closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow but it never came.

Instead, she heard a scuffle, someone yelled in pain and then there was a thud as a body feel to the ground. She felt large, strong hands, fluttering around her neck, gingerly removing her hand from her injury and cradling her head. She heard a crunching sound, much like when her attacker's teeth had ripped into her neck. And, then, something was held to her lips, warm liquid slipping against them, falling into her mouth. She tasted blood and shook her head weakly against the taste but two fingers closed her nostrils and she was forced to breath through her mouth, pulling the copper-tasting liquid down her throat.

As soon as she had swallowed, the fingers moved and smoothed her hair back from her face. Caroline opened her blue eyes wearily and found herself looking up into yet another pair of yellow eyes. But there was something different about these, something she couldn't quite place.

Caroline was convinced that she was dead and this was the angel that would be taking her to heaven to join her father. This was her guardian, her Angel of Music.

She smiled up at him weakly. "Thank you," she muttered before falling limp in his arms.

**A/N: Once again, I'm a terrible person for leaving you all hanging for a few weeks! I'll be better about updating. I promise:)**

**I know there has been next to no Klaroline interaction when this is a Klaroline story...but hang with me! There's a method to my madness, guys! Things are about to happen;)**

**Thanks for reading and if you have a second let me know what you think in a review. I appreciate them and y'all's support for this story... and I like hearing your theories! Thanks again! Until next time...;)**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N 1.0: *smiles sheepishly* Hey there, eerbody. Before we get on with the story I just wanted to say I AM SO SORRY for leaving you all hanging, not updating, sorta neglecting not only this but all my writing as of late. I'm like the worst author ever. I do promise to be better about it since I'm no longer in both a personal and a writing funk. In fact, I'm in neither lol so things will definitely get better on the updating side. In fact, I'll have another chapter of this up in a few days. I promise. And I mean it this time 'cause it's already 2/3 of the way finished lol. so, enjoy and I'll catch ya on the flip side:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or lyrics from Phantom of the Opera.**

_**Chapter 5**_

"_In all your fantasies, you always knew that man and mystery were both in you"_

Caroline's eyes fluttered open sometime later to see what was causing this floating sensation. Her orbs were met with complete darkness and, for a second, Caroline thought her eyes had yet to adjust but then she remembered. She had been walking home with Tyler, they had kissed, but then his 'friend' had attacked them, and after receiving a gruesome injury, Mason and Tyler had left her lying in the streets to die when, out of no where, her guardian had come to her rescue. She cautiously looked up and was able to make out slight facial features of whoever was carrying her, the man she was assuming to be the Angel of Music.

So, she was dead, then.

But she didn't _feel_ dead. Caroline could feel her heartbeat strongly in her chest. She could feel the rise and fall of the Angel's chest as he breathed, she could hear his heartbeat against her ear and it was all very disconcerting.

"What's going on?" she asked into the darkness, looking up at the Angel's profile. He didn't answer. He didn't even spare her a glance as he kept walking through the darkness, holding her tightly in his arms.

After all the stories her father had told her about the Angel of Music, Caroline should have found his embrace comforting, especially after spending every night since her father's death dreaming of the moment she would meet this Angel.

"Are you my Angel?" she asked, trying once more to get his attention.

He chuckled at first, a dark sound resonating in his chest. "Oh, sweetheart, you're sorely mistaken if you think I'm some kind of angel."

"Then who are you?"

"Rest assured, I'm no stranger," he whispered darkly. "We've met a few times before whether that be in person or in your wandering mind."

Caroline's brow creased before it dawned upon her. With another gulp, she thought back to Katerina's stories about a tall man with yellow eyes and fangs. A man who wore a mask to cover his true identity.

'_A terrible monster who knows nothing but how to torment those like me who become his victims,'_ Katerina had said.

"You're the Phantom. Aren't you?"

He said nothing. But the way one side of his mouth lifted in a smirk, she knew she her guess was true. "See, I told you we had been acquainted before." Caroline's brow creased once more and he looked down at her, peering at her with blue eyes through the mask that covered the top half of his face. "Don't over think it, love. It may have simply been from stories placed inside your head but the fact of the matter is, you've heard of me in some way, shape, or form."

Tears came to Caroline's eyes as she thought more about the abundant rumors that made their rounds and the tall tales the older members of the Corp de Ballet told the younger girls. She recalled Katerina's tales and how the Prima Dona would come back looking dazed and confused after being missing for hours, shying from even Trevor's touch. She remembered waiting outside of Monsieur Grant's office one night with Elena while Madame Flemming, Monsieur Grant, and Mason tried to pry information out of a frightened and distressed Katerina.

But most importantly, she remembered the day she and Elena had stumbled upon the soprano in the darkness of backstage, huddled in a corner with blood running down her neck. Caroline gulped and lifted her hand to run her fingers over the spot the strange man's teeth had sunk into her neck earlier, tearing through her flesh gruesomely. But, to her amazement, the spot had been healed.

The Phantom stopped suddenly and gently set her on her feet, only to hold out his hand. With her fingers still resting over her pulse point, Caroline gave him a wary look.

"If your going to torment me like you did Katerina just go ahead and kill me. I don't want to play your sick games."

"That would be quite contradictory, wouldn't it? An 'angel' committing murder?"

"You told me that you were no such thing."

"I did, but, do give me some credit, Caroline. You were the one who referred to me as an angel in the first place. The Angel of Music, I believe."

"I'm not quite sure that you can be both a phantom and an angel," she snapped, giving him a glare.

"Is that any way to speak to you 'generous, undisclosed sponsor'?" he asked, feigning offense with a smirk as Caroline's jaw dropped. The Phantom lifted his hand to her once more before speaking again, fixing her with an imploring blue gaze. "Now, if you insist on calling me your angel or savior out of habit, I won't oppose, but let's get on thing straight, love. I'm no Angel of Music."

"Then who is?"

"You are," he said, lifting a torch from the fixture on the wall before turning to look at her with a devilish smirk illuminated on his masked face.

Caroline gave him a shy, disbelieving look before going against her gut and placing her small hand in his much larger one and let him lead her away, further into darkness, the only light coming from the torch clasped in his hand.

She sighed into the darkness after several minutes of walking on in silence. "I think you're mistaken. I'm the furthest thin-"

"Do you really believe that your talent is so worthless?" he asked. The question was harsh but the tone of his voice was not and Caroline could not bring herself to answer. "Then that is, truly, a pity, sweetheart."

"Excuse me for wanting to stay humble and not let all of this get to me! It's not like I'm going to be Prima Dona for an extended amount of time."

The Phantom chuckled. "For what reason? There's no one here in this labyrinth but the two of us. Revel in it, love." He turned to her and studied her irritated expression with blue-green eyes on fire and arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Fine, be stubborn. I'm a patient man, love, and I have ample amount of time for you to realize how truly wonderful you are and how _amazing_ you could be. But, in the meantime, would you do one thing for me?" he asked, pulling her forward gently and helping her step down into a gondola-like boat.

"Well?" she asked expectantly. The boat rocked as the Phantom lowered himself into it and Caroline clutched the sides tightly until it lurched off into the water, continuing the smooth pace they had set earlier.

"Sing for me."

"What?" she asked quietly, shocked by his request.

"I want you to sing for me," he repeated softly. Caroline turned back slightly and looked up into his alluring blue gaze. There was something so earnest and gentle about it, almost as if he was caressing her like she was the most intriguing and fragile thing he'd ever met.

No one had ever looked at her like that and while Caroline wasn't entirely sure how she should feel that the first person giving her that look was the Phantom, the horrid tormentor of her beloved opera house but she couldn't quite help the warm feeling spreading through her heart. She slowly turned back and faced forward in the small boat and closed her eyes while taking a deep breath, listening to the silence before acquiescing to his simple request.

"_In sleep he sang to me_

_In dreams, he came_

_That voice which calls to me_

_And speaks my name._

_And do I dream again?_

_For now I find_

_The Phantom of the opera_

_Is here_

_Inside my mind."_

She stopped abruptly, leaving them surrounded in uncomfortable silence, unsure of where to take up her made-up tune next.

"Sing for me, Caroline, you angel of music. Sing for me."

With another deep breath, she continued, her voice sliding easily through scales and arpeggios instead of reciting song lyrics. She stopped abruptly once more when their small boat passed through an iron gate, fog parting along their path into some kind of lair. With wide eyes, Caroline took it all in as they drew nearer.

The boat came to a stop and the Phantom stepped out turning to extend his hand to Caroline. She didn't take it immediately as she continued to study her surroundings, at least what she could see of them. Her eyes stopped on four curious items just behind the masked man in front of her, lining the stone wall of the lair.

Her blue eyes filled with fear as she instinctively shrunk away from the Phantom remembering just who he was and what he had done despite his sweet words and encouragement only moments ago. They flicked to his face and while Caroline wasn't too keen on begging for her life when it seemed futile she couldn't help the words out in a quiet whimper.

"Are you going to kill me?"

The Phantom watched her fear-filled eyes in confusion as they looked to his face and then back behind him again. He followed her gaze, turning slightly to look at what bothered her and saw the four, black polished coffins sitting along the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. "Do you really think that low of me?"

"Yes," Caroline responded, finding some of her spitfire again as her now narrowed eyes snapped back to his face.

"That's a pity."

"I'm sorry your reputation isn't that clean."

"I saved your life!"

"Oh, so you do one semi-decent thing and now you're my hero?"

The Phantom growled in exasperation. "I killed my hybrids to spare your life. You should be thanki-"

"You're what?" Caroline asked, her brow creasing at the mention of hybrids.

"You mean you don't know? About the Lockwoods?"

Caroline gave him a blank, confused look and he took a half step closer to where she still sat in the gondola. Realization hit him immediately.

She didn't know. She was completely clueless. Through her affairs with the infuriating patron, Katerina had, at least, known about the existence of werewolves. Katerina was frightened of vampires to her very core, he had made sure of that. The former prima donna didn't confirm their existence or his identity as a creature of the night, another thing he had made sure through some _persuasion_, so to speak.

Caroline was completely different. She was innocent and pure, uncorrupted by the darkness that plagued his existence. And to think, his original plan with her had been to snuff that light out, to torture her just as he had done with Katerina. The Phantom, for whatever reason, had never felt so guilty or remorseful for his wrong doings.

"What about the Lockwoods?" she asked in a quiet voice, drawing the Phantom's attention back to her. "Is Tyler alright? What's going on?"

"Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams for the world you live in is deceptive. Close your eyes, Caroline," the Phantom said in a gentle, yet firm tone causing Caroline to look even more confused as the flicker of fear in her eyes grew slightly. "Start a journey through a strange new world; leave all thoughts of the life you knew before." _Only then, _he thought, holding his hand out to her once more, _can you belong to me_.

The way she looked up at him oh so terrified and unsure should have enticed him, made him feel powerful but it only bothered him. He didn't understand it. This girl was supposed to have been his prey, his new toy so he could continue to torment those in the Opera Populaire but in that moment, the Phantom knew that wasn't what he wanted anymore. He wanted to protect Caroline in hopes that maybe, just maybe, she could share some of her light with him. Maybe she could be his companion and save him from the curse of his loneliness.

"You're safe," he whispered, his blue eyes silently begging her to take his hand.

And, after a few moments, Caroline took his hand, her eyes never leaving his masked face.

_Floating, falling, sweet intoxication_

_Touch me, trust me. Savor each sensation_

_Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in_

_To the power of the music that I write,_

_The power of the music of the night._

**A/N 2.0: I seriously spent forever trying to decide which Music of the Night lyrics to use. like you guys have no idea how hard it was lol. it's actually pretty pathetic but then again sorry, not sorry it's my fav song:P to those of you who still don't really have an idea about who the Phantom is then I hope this answers some questions lol:P note, this doesn't mean the story's over so don't jump to conclusions! that's all I ask of you. ... okay, that was lame lol. this is Klaroline. there will be a few more twisties and turnys (including some more characters! can you guess who?!), and it _will_ end differently than The Phantom of the Opera. that I promise, you!**_  
_

**thanks to musicalfreak for being super awesome (seriously SUPER awesome. if for some reason you haven't read anything of hers, you're missing on some SERIOUS Klaroline feels) and reading bits and pieces of this and telling me it doesn't suck:)**

**anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! and, maybe, drop a review by if you have a minute? I love to hear theories or just hear from y'all in general...even if it is to tell me how much you hate me for being a failure of an author lol. I'd appreciate it! See ya in a few days, lovelies:)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries or Phantom of the Opera**

**Chapter 6**

"_Stranger than you dreamt it, can you even dare to look?"_

Isobel stormed into Elijah's office, throwing the morning's newspaper down on his desk and standing in front of him with her hands on her hips expectantly.

"How may I help you this morning, Isobel?" he asked, sitting back in his chair and crossing his legs, hands resting on his chest with his fingers interlocked.

"The morning news."

"Ah," Elijah said, leaning forward to read the headline, _'Two Bodies Found. Murder Suspected. No Suspects as of yet.' _"I did read that, Madame. Very unfortunate, indeed. I do hope that none of our viewers get too scared from this incident and stop coming to the opera for a time."

Isobel rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air exasperatedly. "Monsieur, did you even read the article?"

"Of course not, Isobel. I fail to see why it is of such importance."

Isobel shut the door and sat down, "There are three reasons why this is so important, Elijah. There are things about our ghost that I have withheld from you simply because you do not believe our ghost to be a real. And now, I have but no choice to tell you these things."

Elijah rolled his eyes but allowed her to continue nonetheless. The sooner Isobel said what she had to say, the sooner he could go back to blissfully ignoring the Ghost.

"Firstly, Monsieur, if you would take a look at the murder victims. One of the men had a hole in his chest; his heart had been pulled clean out of the cavity," Isobel paused in order to gauge Elijah's reaction. She breathed a sigh of relief when his eyebrows pulled together in a concerned expression and his interest in the matter at hand was, seemingly, piqued. "Our ghost is not just any bully, Elijah. We have suspected, for some time now, that he is, in fact, a vampire."

"And what makes you think that?" He asked, neither confirming nor denying the Isobel's unspoken question about whether or not he believed in vampires and the like.

"It is the nature of his attacks. They're bloody and ruthless…you saw Katerina Petrova's on your first day here, Elijah. Now, I had never _seen _Katerina injured like we did that day but she would disappear for _hours _only to come back with a fuzzy memory and odd stories of where she had been and why she had been there, she wouldn't act herself, shying away from even Trevor's touch and avoiding backstage and darkness at all costs. I know it is not much to go by, Monsieur but you must believe me when I say a vampire was victimizing Katerina Petrova."

Elijah was silent for a moment as he considered this. "How do you know so much about vampires, Isobel?"

"I've always had a fascination with the supernatural, starting from when I was very young, Monsieur. And when I became the head of the ballet here, I made an acquaintance in one of our doormen. His name is Slater and he has a _vast _knowledge of the supernatural. Slater and I, along with Mason Lockwood, have been monitoring the situation ever since it began three years ago. There've been a handful of murders in this opera house over the past three years and they all fit the same category as these two. It's always been a broken neck, a heart pulled straight from the victim's chest, or a body with two puncture wounds in the neck- completely drained of blood."

"So what does this have to do with these two murders? They took place several blocks away from here."

"Because the other victim, the one who's neck was simply broken, happens to be a coach driver who has been employed by Mason Lockwood for several years now."

"Ah, so now we've come full circle to the issue of Box Number Five," Elijah said sarcastically.

"Elijah," Isobel said, a weary tone in her voice. "If you have had _any _contact with the Phantom, that is of utmost importance and I implore you to tell me or just acquiesce to his requests, no matter how trivial. I'm begging you because I fear for the fate of the Opera Populaire."

"And why is that? There's more to the story, isn't there?"

"The Phantom is incredibly intelligent. He victimized Katerina because Liam Grant idolized her, gave into her every whim. The Phantom knew that if he had control of Katerina, he had control of Monsieur Grant and the Opera House."

"I still fail to see how this is relevant to the here and the now, Isobel."

The woman took a deep breath and looked into Elijah's eyes, her own filled to the brim with worry.

"Caroline Forbes has gone missing."

"What do you mean by 'missing'?"

"She never returned home from the night. She had gone out with Tyler after the performance. I thought that perhaps it had been so late that she had just accompanied Tyler home and spent the night there and I went to check this morning but no one was home. The fact that Mason's coach driver is one of the bodies worries me."

"I'm not sure if this is enough evidence to go by, Madame. I still fail to see how the two entities are related, no matter how credible your accusations seem. We shall notify the police of Caroline's absence and let us up hope she turns up."

"Very well, Monsieur," Isobel said, turning to leave his office.

She was long gone before Elijah stood and put his coat on. If a human suspected the supernatural at play then it was his job as an Original to investigate.

The few officers still standing guard around the crime scene were easily taken care of upon Elijah's arrival, leaving him to his business with a little Compulsion. He moved swiftly, looking from body to body sprawled out on the street. Elijah had no doubt that this had been some sort of supernatural brawl, just as Isobel had suspected. Little offenses, such as the scene that lay before him, went against the unspoken rules of secrecy in the supernatural world.

For an indiscretion such as this, Elijah would have been merciful seeing as there hadn't been much harm. The whole situation was an easy fix in his mind. However, something told Elijah that his brother would not be merciful in the least, not that Klaus usually exhibited such a trait.

Enforcing the rules through less than amicable means was a favorite past time of his brother. Niklaus had created quite a reputation for himself. It was no secret that he was the most feared and hated of the Originals and he reveled in the control it gave him. He enjoyed the tight leash he could keep people on and the same could be said for his hybrids. None of which, sire bond or not, ever disobeyed their maker.

Which was why Elijah was a bit concerned when he realized the last body was that of his brother's right hand hybrid.

* * *

Deep beneath the Opera House, Caroline quietly walked through the curtains separating the Phantom's bedroom from the rest of his lair. She looked around to curiously take it all in once more.

_Her fingers trailed along the clutter-filled tabletop as her eyes took in beautifully drawn sketches of Paris and landscapes from many other far off places only existing in Caroline's dizziest daydreams. There were portraits of people and animals, recreations of famous pieces, and still lifes, all gorgeously depicted in their own right._

_ Tenderly, she picked up a piece of a woman and studied it intently, her gaze caressing the page for a moment._

_ "Did you do these?" she asked in an astounded whisper._

_ The Phantom walked up behind her to see what she was studying. "Yes," he said, looking at the drawing over her shoulder. "Actually, one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice."_

_ The silence hung between them once more as Caroline studied the other sketches, the Phantom watching her with interest. _

_ "Have you been?"_

_ Caroline's brow creased as she let out a frustrated sigh. "I've never really been anywhere besides for here and across the channel. Back home."_

_ "I'll take you. Wherever you want."_

_ Caroline scoffed at his offer as her eyes continued to rake over his drawings, taking in beauty through his eyes. Suddenly, she felt his breath on the back of her neck, the hard planes of his chest pressed flush against his back as his hand gently took a sketch out of her small one. Part of her knew she should be scared but part of her yearned for him, for his attention. Part of Caroline was daring him to give her a chance_

"_There's a whole world out there waiting for you: great cities, and art, and music. And you can have _all_ of it. All you have to do is ask."_

'_**Turn your face away from the garish light of day**_

_**Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light**_

_**And listen to the music of the night.'**_

Caroline let her fingers trail along the thick, charcoal-filled pages that seemed to gleam in the abundant candlelight as she thought about the previous night. Despite everything she knew, all the stories she'd heard of how destructive and brutal the Phantom was, Caroline found herself thinking there could possibly be more to the man behind the mask. After all, how could the hands of a murderer, of a heartless villain, create something so beautiful?

She turned slowly to see him sitting on the piano bench with his back to her, his head bent as if he was concentrating intently on something. Watching him curiously, Caroline slowly made her way towards him. _'Who was that shape in the shadow? Whose is the face in the mask?' _

Closing her eyes, Caroline took the last step and felt the material of her dress brush against the material of his jacket. She let her hand rest upon his shoulder for a moment, suddenly realizing how tense he was. Her brows creased when she swore a low, animalistic growl resonated deep in his throat. With bated breath, her hand slowly made her way to his face, caressing his cheek, her fingertips meeting the smooth, glossy material of his mask.

Caroline's eyes snapped open and looked down at him to see a nearly lifeless woman laying across his lap, her only support being the Phantom's iron grip as her head lolled back and exposed her neck to his mouth. Caroline couldn't rip her eyes away from the rivulet of blood running down the woman's neck. Caroline screamed and quickly turned, her hand dragging back across the Phantom's face and tearing his mask away as she went.

She fled back towards the bed she had woken up in. She collided with a hard chest and strong hands wrapping around her arms. She did her best to fight against the Phantom's grip but it was to no avail.

"_Damn you, you little prying Pandora_," he growled, shoving her away roughly. "_You little demon! Is this what you wanted to see?!_" he yelled.

From her spot on the ground, Caroline looked up into his face, clinging to his mask tightly. She took a shaky breath as she looked into the terrifying yellow eyes and the black veins protruding from the Phantom's face. Her eyes trailed down to the four large fangs sitting threateningly in his slightly opened mouth, the blood dribbling down his chin. Caroline couldn't move. She was frozen on the ground as this monster loomed over her. She had no idea how long the sat there like that, in complete, tense silence but suddenly the Phantom's face started to change.

Caroline looked on in frightened curiosity as the gold in his eyes morphed into clear blue, the ugly black veins and the menacing fangs faded and retracted. She swallowed as he continued to stand over her in a threatening way.

But the thing that surprised Caroline the most was the fact that she was no longer staring into the face of a stranger.

"Monsieur Klaus?"

**A/N: muwahahaha cliff hanger:P**

**I'm mean. I know. and it's super short...comparatively. sorry about that! I'll make up for it with the next chapter or so. I just wanted to get this out to you guys since I promised another update within a few days. It's my goal to update regularly every week (give or take a day or so given my school schedule) from now til the end of the story...not that I know exactly how many chapters this will have.**

**thanks for reading and maybe review if you have a minute? pretty please? I'd appreciate it, even if all you do is tell me how God awful I am for leaving you all on that ending:) **

**oh and...TVD'S BACK TOMORROW (WITH KOL AND REBEKAH *SQUEALS*)! Enjoy the long awaited new ep, friends:)**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries or Phantom of the Opera.**

**Chapter 7**

'_You'll learn to see, to find the man behind the monster_

_This repulsive carcass_

_Who seems a beast but, secretly, dreams of beauty'_

"_You little viper. Now you cannot ever be free,_" Klaus snarled as he paced in front of Caroline in agitation, much like a predator before the kill. From what she'd seen, she knew he was capable of doing it. He could break her without a second's notice.

"No," she whispered with a small shake of her head and wide eyes. She wanted nothing more than to run. She wanted to be free from this monster's clutches more than anything.

Klaus stopped his pacing and looked down at Caroline where she lay huddled at his feet. He narrowed his eyes at her expression. "No?" he repeated as if he was astounded that she had the audacity to deny him. "I think you'll find you aren't in any position to make the rules, love."

"But…but you said you weren't going to kill me," Caroline whimpered. "You said I was safe."

"Did I ever allude to your death? I simply said you could not be free."

"Please. No, don't resign me to a life stuck down here! I'd rather die if that's the case," Caroline cried. "I'll do whatever you ask," she said in a much smaller voice.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, love. Not now that you know my secret you'd be blabbing it all about the opera house. I can't risk exposure, for obvious reasons," he snarled.

Silence hung between them for a few minutes while the monster in front of her continued to seethe. Swallowing, she looked down at the mask she was still holding tightly in her grasp. Caroline sat up and, with a deep breath, looked up into Klaus' face with pleading eyes and held out her hand.

Klaus felt the smooth material of the mask brush against his skin and his eyes traveled downwards to see it being held out to him, Caroline's small hand gripping it tightly as she looked up at him imploringly.

"I'll keep your secret. I promise."

His eyes narrowed once more. It was a trick. It had to be. No one had ever, willingly, given him their loyalty. Klaus knew better than to place his trust in her but his conscience was telling him otherwise. He _wanted _to trust her.

Caroline's expression began to fall the longer Klaus stood, unmoving, over her. She bit her bottom lip as he continued to study her, a battle raging on inside him. She unwillingly found herself thinking about what pitiful situation had caused the raging trust issues the man above her seemed to possess.

"You can trust me," she snapped, suddenly annoyed with him, pulling the mask back out of his reach. "I swear I won't say anything. There's more about you and this 'Phantom' I can't trust than there is about you trusting me."

Once again, his conscience began to nag at him. She was right. He had been watching her from the shadows for some time now, realizing her potential and investing in her obvious and overlooked talent. Klaus had chosen Caroline from the hand of cards he had been dealt. He needed a new muse to continue his games. He had started with a slow seduction; playing with her through her childish belief in this enigma she called 'the angel of music'. It was all part of a scheme, of course. Not that Caroline knew that.

It was a minor detail, really. Why should the young girl so full of life be aware of being seduced into madness? She had only been collateral damage in Klaus' eyes.

Not to mention, the fear he had instilled in Katerina had become too real and with Elijah now in the picture, Klaus couldn't take any risks. He needed a new, fresh plaything.

But, one of the things he had immediately noticed about young Caroline Forbes was how pure her love and loyalty were. She was completely unmarred by the darkness that inhabited his soul. She had trusted his made-up persona immediately and without question. And in the deepest recesses of his being, Klaus admired that.

"How can I acquit myself?" he asked.

"Give me a reason to trust you," she countered with a haughty rise of her chin.

Klaus growled in frustration. He didn't want to admit what his original plan had been to her. He was ashamed of how willing he had been to put out the light radiating from her. If she thought poorly of him now, what would she think of him if he told her she had originally been his prey?

"_Can you even dare to look_?" he asked quietly, turning away from her and willing his face to change once more. Klaus flashed his fangs at her in a nonthreatening way, his yellow eyes gazing at her intently.

Caroline took a deep breath and nodded and Klaus was kneeling in front of her suddenly, his eyes back to blue. She tried to instinctively move away from him but his large hand fastened around her wrist and tugged gently to keep her in place.

"I want you to remember," he said, looking into her blue-green orbs, his own pupils dilating.

Caroline pulled her brows together at the odd gesture but, suddenly, a memory was pulled from the recesses of her mind.

_She smirked at Elena before disappearing into the darkness._

"_Caroline!" the brunette called after her._

_Giggling, Caroline didn't stop to wait for her friend. She would catch-up eventually. She knew, despite her brave exterior, Elena was petrified of the stories that flew through the members of the Opera like rumors did a small town. Caroline knew Elena wouldn't be brave enough to stand in the dark by herself but the blonde wasn't completely heartless. She continued to laugh so Elena had something to follow to safety before Caroline would jump out and scare her._

"_Caroline this isn't funny!" Elena called again just as Caroline began to search for a hiding spot in the curtains._

_With a playful smile, Caroline moved quickly, pushing through curtains to get to hiding before Elena caught up to her. She reached her destination between the curtains and the back wall where the set masters traversed to and fro during performances and rehearsals._

_Raising a hand to stifle a laugh, Caroline backed into something solid. Thinking it was a crewmember, she turned to apologize but was met by the face of a stranger._

_Her eyes grew wide as she took in his appearance. His eyes turned from yellow to blue before her eyes and Caroline opened her mouth to scream. A large hand covered her mouth and stifled the shrill cry. Her eyes widened as she realized that blood littered his chin and, out of fear, she began to struggle in the man's grasp._

"_Shh," Klaus whispered harshly, holding her tighter to his body to stop her struggling. _

_Somewhere else back stage, Elena screamed and Klaus knew he didn't have much time. Katerina's abandoned body had been found. He shifted the girl in his arms so she was forced to look into his eyes._

"_You won't remember this encounter," he whispered hastily, speaking with blood-stained teeth. "Rest assured we will meet again soon, my lovely," he sneered, an evil glint in his eyes. "But for now, you mustn't remember this. Your friend is screaming, go to her."_

_And then she was all alone, running back towards Elena._

Caroline shook her head and blinked at Klaus in realization before her mind tugged again and she was lost in another memory.

_This time she was with Tyler the night of her first performance as Prima Dona._

_ The two of them had ventured outside and were walking along the road, having decided against the carriage to enjoy the fresh night air. The streets were quiet, not a soul but Tyler and Caroline wandering along them, the full moon shining brightly in the sky._

_ It was then she heard the growl._

_ "What was that?" she asked, snapping her head in the direction of the sound, blonde curls flying._

_ Tyler laughed. "It's probably a dog, Care. Come on, I need to get you home," he said, tugging on her arm._

_ But then, out of the shadows of a nearby alleyway, a large dog pounced, tackling them to the ground._

_ The next thing Caroline knew, the large dog was stalking in front of her, preparing to pounce. She looked to Tyler for help but he was sprawled out on the other side of what Caroline was sure was a wolf. The animal pounced and Caroline closed her eyes, realizing she didn't have a chance but the impact never came. Someone lifted her up and the next thing she knew, she was standing in front of the home she shared with Isobel and Elena. Caroline looked up into the blue eyes of her savior._

_ There was something familiar about his sharp appearance, his sandy blonde curls but Caroline couldn't place it._

_ She opened her mouth to ask a million questions, thank him but he beat her to it. With a hand on each of her shoulders, the familiar stranger peered into her blue-green eyes and Caroline felt compelled to stare back into his just as intensely._

_ "You had a bit too much to drink and the alcohol played tricks on your mind. The boy walked you home without incident. You'll wake up in the morning with no recollection of any of this."_

"What was that?!" Caroline exclaimed when the memory ended.

"That," Klaus snapped back, "was Compulsion. I can use it to take memories away from you, to make you do whatever I wish. It's a mind game…rather useful if you ask me."

"What kind of sick being uses something like that?"

"I do, obviously," he drawled, pushing his walls back up to hide his emotions from her.

"How dare you infiltrate my mind!"

"I'd have rather not had you running around Paris exposing the supernatural world, sweetheart. In fact, you should be thanking me. I saved your life."

"From what, exactly?"

"Our lovely patron, Mason Lockwood. He's a werewolf and he was going to rip you to shreds had I not interfered."

Caroline was taken aback for a moment. "A werewolf?"

"Yes, love. A werewolf."

"I don't see why it mattered to you. It's obvious you don't really have a high regard for human life with the way you treat Katerina."

"Minor details. The reason will only make you despise me more than you already do."

"What are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm a different kind of monster. I've got a little vampire…a little wolf. A hybrid."

Caroline pulled her eyebrows together as she processed it all. She swallowed and looked up at Klaus once more. "You mentioned killing a hybrid last night…to save me."

"Well, my plan almost blew up in my face once already. I'd rather not see it happen again."

"What plan?" Caroline demanded.

Klaus groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He still couldn't figure out why he felt the need to tell her everything, to be honest with her. Part of him wished she had remained collateral damage but the damned patron's nephew had to get involved.

"I originally planned to replace Katerina with you. I was growing rather bored with that wench as she was becoming rather infuriating and difficult to deal with. So, I chose you. Invested in your talent and planned a way for you take over Katerina's position. Granted, with my brother's interest in the opera, it didn't happen the way I intended it to, but it was no matter until you got involved with the mutts. My plan nearly blew up in my face, twice now."

"You mean…last night…?"

"I tried to take out the infuriating child who's jeopardized all of this to make his uncle back off and you got caught in the crossfire, love. I saved your life, yet again."

"How? I thought I was dying. I _was _dying."

"Vampire blood has special healing qualities. I forced mine down your throat."

"So…I'm a hundred percent okay?" Klaus gave her a short nod. "Why bring me here, then? Why not take me back home like you did before?"

"If you die with my blood in your system, you become a vampire and given the crowd you've begun to run around with, I'd rather that not happen, love. Would you?" Klaus asked, pulling his eyebrows together and cocked his head inquisitively. Caroline looked to the ground and didn't answer; she didn't want to become a monster like him. "That's what I thought. So, make yourself comfortable, love. You're here until my blood passes out of your system. I dearly hope it doesn't take to long. I left a mess in plain sight and my brother is sure to be on top of it. I don't need him getting suspicious."

"So, Monsieur Elijah's…he's a…a vampire?"

"Yes. My brother and I are the oldest vampires in the world. Part of the Original family."

"You say that like I should be impressed."

"It'd do you well to keep in mind who I am. I've built quite the reputation and I'm not known for my patience, Caroline."

"Says the guy who keeps saving someone whose collateral damage," Caroline quipped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why?"

"I fancy you. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes!" she scoffed.

"Why? You…you're beautiful. You're strong. You're full of light. I've found that I enjoy you."

The snarky response Caroline had prepared lodged in her throat as her mouth opened in a silent gasp. She looked up at the monster in front of her, the man who had planned to endanger her life for his own amusement but she couldn't make the malice and disbelief light her blue orbs on fire. Instead, she just peered at him shyly. No one had told her that before.

The silence fell between them for a few moments as Caroline sat and stood up. Klaus stood motionless in front of her, peering at her through soft blue eyes curiously. Caroline could feel his breath on her face as she slowly turned the mask over in her hands. Unable to handle the intense eye contact anymore, Caroline's gaze fell to the mask.

"Is Tyler…is he like you? A hybrid?" Caroline asked quietly.

"No. His family carries the werewolf gene. He made a kill the other night and that's what triggers the curse."

"That's why his eyes turned yellow."

Klaus nodded, watching her as she looked down.

She took a half step back and looked up into Klaus' eyes once more. Biting her lip, Caroline held the mask out to him. The hybrid looked down at the white accessory and back up at the girl in front of him questioningly.

"I'll keep your secret. I promise."

With a nod, he gently took the mask out of her hand, briefly covering her small one with his large one.

**A/N: eh. guys...I tried. **

**this chapter was honestly a bitch to write...Caroline really didn't want to cooperate and that aggravated Klaus and it was just a giant clusterfuck. I'm still not very thrilled with how it turned out...but. it is what it is, I guess.**

**if you have a minute, drop a review? pretty please? I love to hear from y'all:) even if all you do is tell me how I fail as an author for making you suffer through this long and boring chapter.**

**thanks for reading, friends! I appreciate it:) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries or POTO. Lyrics belong to the amazing Andrew Lloyd Weber.**

**Chapter 8: Interlude**

_'for those who speak of what they know _

_find too late that prudent silence is wise'_

"Tell us a story about the Phantom!"

The other ballet girls murmured their excited agreement and Slater smiled, his eyes glinting with mischief. One of his favorite past times at the Opera House was amusing the Corp during their rehearsal breaks. It was an easy thing to do; the girls, no matter their age, were always open to hearing one of his stories even if it was a bit embellished and contrived as it was whenever he spoke to them of the Opera Populaire's resident evil. None of the girls, not even Elena knew of his and Isobel's suspicions concerning the Phantom.

"Well," Slater said, rolling his neck as a few of the girls smiled and went back to adjusting their makeup or tutus, slipping point shoes on and off to readjust laces, and whatnot. "He didn't always used to be such a horrid monster."

"He didn't?" one of the younger ballerinas asked, looking up at him with curious green eyes, red curls hanging in her face.

"No," Slater explained. "You have to know that people aren't born evil, not even our Ghost. You see, his mother had an affair with another man and the Phantom was the result. The Phantom's true father was much different than most men. He was a monster, much like the Phantom himself. A slave to nature with large yellow eyes and nasty fangs, cursed to haunt the woods as nothing less than a rabid animal every month when the moon reached it's peak. The Phantom was different from the rest and it was apparent when he was very young and no one knew. His mother resented him and the fact he was proof of her sins against her husband so she turned a blind eye to the way his stepfather mistreated him in regards to his half-brothers and sister. He accepted his punishments without question but his true nature made it hard for him to reign in his temper and aggression and, one day, it got him in to serious trouble.

"A terrible accident forced his mother, a very powerful witch, to place a curse on not only the Phantom, but all her children and it turned them in to monsters; immortal and unyielding. But, it affected the one worse than the rest."

"The Phantom."

Slater only nodded at his captivated audience. "You see, to complete the spell, each of the children had to drink blood from a human," the girls looked at each other and made disgusted faces, "and when the Phantom did, he killed the girl he drank from on accident and his true nature came to light. His eyes turned bright yellow with ugly black veins protruding from his skin. Four large fangs ripped through his gums and he transformed into the monster that his father was. His mother plead for the Phantom's life but she was still embarrassed and ashamed so she placed another spell on him, one that bound his animalistic nature, keeping the beast in chains in hopes that his stepfather would be forgiving. And he was…for a time. Until the Phantom caught on to his mother's shame and murdered her for what she had done and then he ran with the blonde on his hands and descended into madness with his stepfather on his heels.

"Eventually, the Phantom broke the Sun and Moon Curse- the spell placed on him by his mother- but by then he was alone in the world, the only one of his kind, wandering on and on by himself, unable to resurrect the man who had once been from deep inside his blackened heart. He's been running from his father, you see, the man has been hunting him down, ready to put the bastard into the ground for once and for all. But he's found a temporary solace in our Opera House. He moves in the shadows, unseen and undetected by us and those who hunt him. But he's still a monster. He watches us from the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce. Beware because you won't see his yellow eyes…they say that the only sign he's coming will be the feel of his hot, labored breath on your neck before his fangs tickle the skin on you neck. It's your only warning before he grabs you!" Slater yelled, jumping into action and grabbing Elena Flemming by the waist, pulling her back up against him.

Not having been paying attention, the brunette screamed, the other girls joining as they hadn't been expecting such an action. After a moment, Elena elbowed Slater in the gut and he let her go, laughing as she marched away with an indignant huff.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Madame Flemming asked, marching into the ballet dressing room.

"Slater's telling stories again, mother! About the Phantom!" Elena whined.

Isobel rounded on him in a moment, sending her infamous, stern gaze his way. "It would do you well to hold. Your. Tongue, Slater Monahan. Especially on such serious matters," she hissed.

He gulped, thinking over his story for a moment, suddenly horrified at how truthful it was. His gaze bent underneath Isobel's stern one, looking down at his shuffling feet. "Yes, Madame. Je vous demande Pardon," he said.

Isobel let her gaze linger on the doorman for a moment longer before turning back to her ballet girls. She stared at them for a moment as they tried to hold in the laughter fighting to escape their lips at Slater's expense. "Off you go!" she said, shooing them off with a wave of her hands. "You have a ballet that is not going to rehearse itself!"

They all jumped up in a wave of pink tutus and various hues of hair. "Oui, Madame!"

**A/N: well hello there, friends:) Please, please, please forgive me for another unintentional hiatus. pretty please with a Joseph on top? or whoever you'd like? I'm very upset with myself for leaving this one unattended for so long- it wasn't my intention and I don't really have an excuse. This is not an actual chapter...I honestly wasn't planning on doing something to reflect the 'Magical Lasso' scene but when I watched the movie the other night, I figured it would be a good way to get back into the groove of writing this. The good news is I have the next several chapters mapped out (for the most part, have a couple snags/plot points to iron out...we're going a bit dark in upcoming chappies!) so updates should be regular:) I'll try to get the next big chapter out over the weekend for you guys!**

**thanks for reading if you're still out there. I appreciate you being patient with me. If you have a moment, please drop me a review...I'd really appreciate it:D**


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